The Bat Whispers (1930)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

"The Bat Whispers" boasts striking, spacious sets and some remarkably (for 1930) fluid camera-work, but it still can't completely shake off its staginess, and it includes not one, not two, but three unfunny comic relief supporting characters (the maid's squealing is absolutely insufferable). As for who The Bat is, it is possible after a point to put 2 and 2 together and figure it out before he is unmasked. But the final 2 minutes are most unusual - for this ending, and the visuals, the film is worth a look. **1/2 out of 4.

The Bat Whispers is a 1930 suspense-thriller with elements of mystery and drama. The story follows a middle-aged woman of wealth, named Cornelia Van Gorder, who has rented an elaborate mansion from a wealthy banker's son. When the large house is used to hide the proceeds from a bank robbery, several different parties compete to remove the inhabitants and find the money. Excitement, suspense, and thrills ensue as Cornelia, along with her friends and family, attempt to put an end to the fiasco.The film, The Bat Whispers, manages to stay enjoyable throughout its entirety, with barely a dull moment. The Bat character is reminiscent of an early Batman and it is easy to draw parallels between the two characters. The ending is also extremely fun, after the resolution and when the audience is addressed. I won't give anything away, but this film is worth watching for this part alone.One of the worst parts of the film, unfortunately, is the corny attempts at humor. Hiding halfway under a bed, cross-eyed fainting, and overdone acting add a cringe element to the film, which is disappointing. The story is done very well and the added comedy elements deduct from the overall viewing experience. There are also a few ambitious attempts at using special effects, such as tiny models to show a sprawling cityscape or a car traveling down a road. Although it is a good effort by the artists involved, these scenes do not work either. They are simply too artificial and, worse, are completely irrelevant. Lastly, one could argue that much of the conflict in this film, along with many thriller and mystery movies, is based on a faulty personality by the characters, such as an extreme naivety in their surroundings and the ability to trust even the most suspicious- looking individuals without hesitation.Overall, The Bat Whispers is a fun film. Exciting, suspenseful, full of thrills and twists, and a good mystery story, all audiences can enjoy this movie. A few downfalls and bad choices keep this film from being truly great, but it is worth a watch. And don't forget to watch the very end, it's great.

In the late 1920s until about the mid 1930s, Hollywood produced quite a few 'old, dark house' films. This genre always consisted of a group of people stuck in an old mansion as a maniac runs about trying to fill them off one-by-one. "The Old Dark House", "The Cat and the Canary" and "The Black Cat" are just a few examples of these films--as is "The Bat Whispers". So, while some today might be more impressed by this film than me, perhaps it's because they don't realize that the plot is very standard fare. And, aside from a few technical innovations, this is a rather poor example as well--mostly because it's so dreadfully boring.The film begins with folks talking about 'The Bat'--a daring and murderous thief whose identity is unknown and who has long eluded the police. Most of the film centers on one particular mansion and a group of people who run about trying to avoid being his next victims. And, at the end, the mystery is, of course, unraveled.This is an unusual film because the DVD has both a standard version and a unique 65mm version they also made for theaters. I watched the 65mm version and I could understand why some of the other reviewers disliked it. The overall look was akin to watching a film while standing far from the screen--very, very far. In other words, although they were innovating with the cinematography, they really didn't understand how to effectively utilize it. It's odd, as although they tried to innovate when it came to the picture, the sound is ancient by 1930 standards--with no incidental music and very flat sound. Overall, it's a film that looks unique (with some nice shadows and camera angles), sounds bad and bores the viewer to tears. A nice experiment--but one that just isn't very satisfying viewing.

A tour-de-force of chases, shootouts, and robbery, as "The Bat" terrorizes a city, and particularly the renters of a mansion where he makes his hideout. Nearly everybody is a suspect, but the key lighting pretty much gives it away. Nonetheless, West keeps the pace moving so fast that we don't really have time to stop and think about much of anything. Features West's trademark effects with miniatures and wires. Some remarkable photography (in 65mm, no less) in the disappearing silent gothic tradition makes this movie a link from the newly emerging horror scene to the old "haunted house with criminals" genre into which it more properly falls. "Goofy gothic" excellence.